


steps

by Sawadoot



Series: tsuna's nest [2]
Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Gen, drabble that pieces together eventually, onion tears have done them in
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-23
Updated: 2018-09-23
Packaged: 2019-07-15 18:51:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16069163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sawadoot/pseuds/Sawadoot
Summary: Yamamoto knows how to slice vegetables properly. And today he's also doubling as Tsuna's hero.





	steps

Yamamoto Takeshi is accustomed to sprinting every morning. He rises early morning before one would even think of getting ready for school, and jogs a mile across the block. But nothing prepared him to run as far and fast as he had just sprinted to Tsuna's house.

 

After several frantic knocks the door cracks open, the moment Tsuna sees him his face collapses into relief. “Is it that bad?” Takeshi starts, tentatively crossing the threshold behind the frazzled boy and kicking his shoes off. The door closes with a definite click as Tsuna wails, _“yes!”,_ which is terrible if you consider he's a never-ending fountain of patience.

 

“What's up? Sounds like a crisis.” “It is one! Come I'll show you.” Tsuna flings his arm wide towards the door with an urgency of someone who's about to lose his mind. When Takeshi steps into the kitchen, it smells of smoke. There's Gokudera, hair tied up and the apron tied smartly around his waist. And Lambo, Tsuna's little brother, standing next to him also in an apron but this one is hiked up pretty far and tied several times so he won't trip on the length. The mess on the counter could have been vegetables, looking from the perfectly sliced ones that would make his dad proud to… compost.

 

“Will you help us cook?” Tsuna asks in that wobbly voice that means he's giving the puppy dog eyes. “They can't even cut onions, and I'm this close.” He lowers his voice so only Yamamoto can hear.

 

That's understandable. Tsuna comes from a long line of Sawada perfectionist cooks, and his mother had taught him ever since he was old enough to hold a spoon. Unfortunately, he isn't very good at showing the others. There's squash on the far wall. Tsuna cooks as instinctively as he breathes and he's never able to convert that talent into others.

 

“Sure, we could team up?” He's already grabbing his apron he always wears when he tag team cooks with the Sawadas on occasion, and when that happens, there's a rush of twirling aprons, tossing cooking utensils at one another, and making so much food it could feed the whole neighborhood. But for now, it's just Tsuna.

 

Sadly it clicks that he wants someone to cook with again. It's just that the selected cooking partners in question have a habit of burning every bit of food they make or not caring at all and wandering away mid-task. “What are we making?” Takeshi asks, slipping the apron over his head and tying it tightly with practiced ease.

 

“Yakiniku Donburi!” Oh, that's one of Nana’s favorites. This must be one of her better days. For that Takeshi can be glad, both himself and Tsuna greatly miss the presence of Nana’s soft voice greeting them when they stumble home from baseball practice, especially when the day is rough.

 

“Thank god,” He thinks Tsuna whispers when he takes over showing Lambo how to properly cut onions, wetting towels from them both to stifle their irritated red eyes. In no time flat with a couple of incidents involving crispy carrot and oddly portioned meat, they've completed the meal. And though it doesn't look Sawada Level, it sure tastes good.

 

“Do you want to take this to Mom?” Tsuna thrusts a bowl into Takeshi’s hands yelping when it sloshes dangerously, a pair of chopsticks haphazardly caught from their descent to the kitchen floor. “She's been down lately because of―  you know. I think seeing you would brighten her day!” And how could he say no to that?

 

“Sure ‘Suna! I miss talking to your mom about that one time you tried to feed the goldfish shredded cheese.”

 

“I was _four_ , and in my defense, Juicey Juice Junior deserved to eat my favorite food!”

 

Tsunayoshi’s empty threats follow a laughing Takeshi up the stairs. “Alright,” Tsuna said, hands on his hips and surveyed the disaster his kitchen had become with three helpers and one meal. “Let's tackle this mess. Then we eat!”

 

Lambo both cheered and groaned. It was impressive.

* * *

  
  


Sawada Nana has seen better days. Despite being one of the most well-aged women around the block, her constant worry and anxiety left permanent dark thumbprints underneath her eyes and deep worry lines between her brows. She's a pretty wife. Her hair had grown out until it was a bit longer than it had been when Tsuna was little, and the world was still an array of vast magic. But her face has aged from the years left to raise and support her family alone; income was nothing when her son is continuously hurt for being alive.

 

When Takeshi cracks open her bedroom door, holding a bowl of what she smells to be her absolute _favorite_ , then no one can blame her eyes for lighting up as if she's handed the stars. “Takeshi-kun! What a nice surprise!”

 

Her voice comes out weak but not any less excited. “Come, come, take a seat.” She pats at the bed rapidly making Takeshi laugh. He settles on the worn-in sitting chair by her bed. The one you can usually find Tsuna in if he isn't running errands or at school. “How have things been?” Nana asks excitedly accepting the bowl Takeshi carefully passed into her shaking hands.

 

“Practice went well! We had this one guy who threw the ball like _‘swoosh!’_ and then it ricocheted off one of the poles and everyone screamed when it plowed right into center field, it was so funny!” Takeshi elaborated with motions and expressions which caused Nana to laugh along with him as if she could picture it. “We missed Tsuna, though.” That startled her into nervous contemplation.

 

Nana’s mouth opens and closes several times, teeth clacking with each sudden shut, and then in the softest, the calmest voice he's ever heard, she says, “...the team? Or just you?” Ah, that's right. The entire school terrorizing one child, her son, isn’t an easy thing to forget, is it? “Not the whole team― but half?”

 

Nana’s face twists and pulls into a mix of sadness and tentative relief. “I’m glad!” She doesn’t sound too sure about that. “And Tsu-kun brought two wonderful new friends home. One of them has even adopted him as an older brother; he’s so sweet. Ah, it’ll be so lovely to cook for a full table once I’m up and working.” She says not without a tinge of loneliness, chin resting comfortably against the flat of her shaking palm. Takeshi doesn’t have the heart to ask about her condition, or her husband, soon to be ex if he doesn’t hurry up, in Tsuna’s words. Instead, they chat aimlessly about school and cooking, and any topic under the sun that can link a minuscule amount to their main subjects of conversation.

 

Takeshi hops downstairs with an empty bowl, pocket stuffed with a single recipe, and a grin so wide it splits his entire face. Nana doesn’t fare any worse, a soft genuine smile pulling at the corners of her mouth.

 

“Oh?” Tsuna laughs in a sing-song way, bent over the sink with his hands submerged to the forearms in bubbles and dishwater, Lambo has some contrasting his dark curls, and Gokudera looks half soaked, judging by his pissed yet cowed expression it’s no question who’d done him in. Takeshi sets the bowl beside the sink, watching as Tsuna’s wet hands surface from their bubbly grave to rinse and soak it. “If you’re smiling like that then my guess is you made her whole week.” His back is facing Takeshi, but the older of them knows that Tsuna is bearing a thoughtful look.

 

“We talked like usual, and your mom gave me a super-secret Sawada recipe to make at home with Pops.” Takeshi waves the slightly crumpled paper while Tsuna heaps another handful of bubbles into Lambo’s hair.

 

“She broke our oath! That’s sworn secrecy!” Tsuna mock gasps, pressing the back of his hand against his forehead leaving a soapy trail. Lambo laughs, making himself a long beard. “My own mother, in my own home.” Even Hayato roll his eyes a bit in good humor.

 

“Guess that makes us unofficial brothers then.” Takeshi states, grinning about what Tsuna knows is the Sawada-Yamamoto theory involving a sure mother of his and a sure father of Takeshi’s.

 

“Shut up!” The spoon Tsuna flung hits him square in the shoulder and somewhere behind, Hayato cackles loudly.

* * *

  
  


Gokudera first becomes acquainted with Hibari Kyoya on a bright cloudless day, the very beginning of fall and of course, a few days into the new term. The aftermath resulting in a broken chair leg and one particularly charred front door.

 

According to Lambo Number One Eyewitness, Hibari was lounging on the couch and flipping through the scrapbooks Tsuna is _confident_ he’d stashed out of sight when Gokudera had come for his after-school visit. Only to realize Tsuna was late due to additional classes and Hibari was acting like he owned the place.

 

Hayato took it upon himself to thoroughly question him, and Hibari took it upon himself to make sure Hayato never forgot his lesson.

 

Regardless of the actual, probably not exaggerated story, here they are. Hibari is sporting no visible injuries and Gokudera looking as if someone had put him through a meat grinder several times then run him over with an SUV. “So,” Tsunayoshi pointedly looks between the two. Neither flinches. “I'm not even going to ask. But stop destroying my house, please.”

 

An affirmative grunt from Kyoya is only part way helpful regarding promises. Meaning there's no guarantee, but it's noted for now. Gokudera looked scandalized. “He gets let off for breaking and entering?! Just like that?!” Takeshi stifles a laugh, bag slung over his shoulder, and for that, he received a dirty glare. Ouch.

 

“Hibari-san has a key now.” Tsuna doesn't bother explaining how he'd enter through the window or something anyway. He's accustomed to waking up with Hibari magically sitting at his table, calling him out on delay, and demanding breakfast.

 

Gokudera shoots Yamamoto a bewildered look. The boy shrugs, following after both friends into the kitchen. “I'm just here for pre-dinner.” As in the meal before he goes back home and eats a homemade supper with his dad. If it's possible for Hayato to look even more confused they'd done their job.

 

“Lambo, we can have fruit or cheese and crackers.” Tsuna is already rustling around the cupboards and pulling out various things while standing on his tiptoes. “Lambo wants grapes!” The kid claps his hands before tugging on Tsuna’s arm in time with his affirmative, “yes.” Lambo only reaches his kneecaps yet here he is wrenching open the fridge door so that his older brother can rummage around for his favorite purple grapes. Hibari raises a brow at them, “thanks Tsuna-nii!” Lambo manages to squeeze out over a mouthful of fruit. “Yes, yes.” Tsunayoshi ruffles his hair, moving on to make a small cracker platter for his hungry friends and filling the kettle with water.

 

“No more fights.” He plucks a few tea bags from the box, setting them gently inside carefully placed but nearly dropped mugs. Hibari snorts and without glancing up Tsuna’s finger points in his direction, pouring water into the mugs with one shaking hand. “No fights.” Kyoya’s eyes narrow into mean slits. He says nothing but the aura overtaking the room does that more than words can express. Tsuna lowers his finger, whipping his head around. They stare for a bit. Glare for a moment. Then shrug in idle agreement.

 

“That was terrifying,” Takeshi whispers, hands clasped beneath the table.

 

“Snacks are ready!” It’s as if nothing ever happened. Tsuna is cheerfully setting cups of green tea in front of each person and placed a plate of sliced cheddar and wheat crackers onto the table center. Again, Tsuna has his usual hat perched on his head, distinctly resembling a large crow.

 

“Thanks ‘Suna!”

 

“Thank you very much Tenth!”

 

A small nod.

 

The snack table filled with silence, an occasional joke, the beginnings of a fight that Tsuna nipped at the bud, crushing a cracker between his fist. It’s quite pleasant. Over small talk of the baseball team to calm discussion about Hayato’s transfer to the school. Maybe some near afternoon Nana will be able to join them.

 

She doesn’t for a very long time.

**Author's Note:**

> i'm busy so sometimes it takes a while to update? anyway, these drabbles are leading up to something, you're going to have to guess lmao. i'm still pursuing my iemitsu hate agenda full time and if it wasn't already implied, well, tsunayoshi is a trans boy and i love him. 
> 
> you can find art n cool talk on my khr blog (khrkin)
> 
> see ny'all in a few days probably


End file.
